SEPTEMBER 21, 1947 THE ESSENCE OF GOODNESS P rov . 4:23; 6:16-19; 9:10; 14:34; 15:1; 16:18; 21:3; 22:1; 27:1; 28:1; 29:18; J as . 4:17
BOOKS FOR CHILDREN An author of books for boys has suggested the following rules for selecting books for children. “Read your children’s books your self. Or better still, get your boy or girl to read them aloud to you. Ask yourself during the reading: ‘Does this book lay stress on villainy, deception or treachery? Are all of the incidents wholesome, probable, and true to life? Does it show young people contemptuous toward their elders and successfully opposing them? Do the young char acters in the book show respect for teachers and others in authority? Are these characters the kind of young people you wish your children to associate with? Does the book speak of and describe pranks, prac tical jokes and pieces of thoughtless and cruel mischief as though they were funny and worthy of imitation? Is the English good and is the story written in good style?’ ” THE HOUSE LIQUOR BUILT Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. “Mr. Saloonkeeper, you built that home out of human hearts and used lifeblood for mortar. The plaster on your walls was made from the linings of human stomachs. In your shop of hell, you hardened human brain out of which to make tile for your bathroom. The carpet on your floor is the lining clipped from the coffins of the dead and woven into fabrics of blood. Your window cur tains are widow’s weeds slightly col ored by a demon’s brush, dipped into liquid fire. The light from the chan delier is the smile of a baby and the luster of a mother’s eye which you stole from a neighboring home. The flowers about your place are roses of beauty plucked from the cheeks of the innocent. The music by which you dance is the wail of a widow and the sigh of an orphan, ground by the hand of the devil from hell’s awful organ, while every demon keeps step to the music. Mr. Saloonkeeper, you will stand some time at the judgment bar of God, and answer to Him for the material out of which you built your home.” No man is born into the world, whose work Is not born with him; there is al ways work, And tools to work withal, for those who will; And blessed are the horny hands of toil! The busy world shoves angrily aside The man who stands with arms akimbo set, Until occasion tells him what to do; And he who waits to have his task marked out Shall die and leave his errand unful filled. —James Russell Lowell. Page Forty
Outline and Exposition R ight E ndeavors (P rov . 4:23; 6:16-19; 9:10)
Points and Problems 1. Twelve separate passages of Scrip ture have been selected to set forth the essence or nature of goodness. Each one of these passages suggests one particular thing which character izes goodness. They are as follows: a guarded heart (Prov. 4:23), ab sence of things the Lord hates (6:16- 19), fear of the Lord (9:10), right eousness (14:34), careful speech (15:1), humility (16:18), consistent living (21:3), a good name (22:1), a right attitude toward time (27:1), boldness (28:1), vision (29:18), and application to duty (Jas. 4:17). Any man with all of these things in his life will give expression to God’s idea of a true goodness. 2. "To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice" (21:3). By these words, is God reproving ceremonial observ ances established with so much care in earlier days? By no means. They are of tremendous importance. Chap ter after chapter is devoted to their observance. But what God is saying in this passage is that mere adher ence to ritual, no matter how good, will never take the place of holy liv ing. Samuel’s word to Saul (1 Sam. 15:22) was an emphasis of the same truth, “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." A man’s life must correspond to his profession else he is a hypocrite and therefore displeas ing to God. 3. "The wicked flee when no man pursueth" (28:1). Sin keeps men in a constant state of fear. Even when there is no apparent reason for fear it lurks deep down in the heart: fear of death, fear of judgment, fear of hell, in addition to all sorts of fears incident to this present life. The rea son is clear. They have not the love of Christ within their hearts, which love casts out all fear (1 John 4:18). Only the Christian has the true basis for peace. He has nothing to worry about. He faces no enemy that the power of Christ has not already con quered for him. Education without God is like a ship without a compass. God loves a cheerful giver, whether it be the gold of his purse or the gold of his lips which he presents upon the Lord’s altar. T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
The issues of life rise from the heart. Hence it must be guarded above all else (4:23). The sheltered heart is protected against abomina tions such as haughtiness, falsehood, wickedness with the hands, an evil imagination, proneness to mischief, sham, and sowing discord among brethren (6:16-19). The heart is guarded by simply having within it the fear of the Lord. It is not the dread of a criminal be fore the Judge, but the reverence of a child before the Father, and it leads to increased knowledge of the living God (9:10). R ight E stimates (P rov . 14:34; 15:1; 16:18; 21:3; 22 : 1 ) The proper estimate of the glory of a nation is the righeousness it possesses. With righteousness a na tion will be exalted; without it only reproach will come to it (14:34). The tongue that returns a soft answer is one that avoids strife (15:1). But when pride is present, the answer will be rough, followed by trouble (16:18). Beyond all sacrifices of religion is the doing of justice and proper judg ment (21:3), which always lead to possessing a good name and favor that, in God’s sight, are better than riches of gold and silver (22:1). R ight K nowledge (P rov . 27:1; 28:1; 29:18; J as . 4:17) To know that we know nothing of the future protects us against boast ing that ends in disaster (27:1). And to know that one is righteous pro duces a boldness that the wicked do not possess (28:1). Without such knowledge a man has no vision and becomes like a machine out of con trol, having no restraint (29:18). But to know and not to do is sin. Without right action knowledge be comes a curse. It is better to be ignorant than to have much knowl edge unless the life is brought into accord with the will of God (Jas. 4:17). Thus the “essence of goodness” is living in harmony wjth the will of God revealed in His Word, guard ing the heart with all diligence, and seeking that good name which is better than gold and silver.
Made with FlippingBook Online document